Hum 105 Exam 1 Definitions

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Animism

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The belief that the forces of nature are inhabited by spirits

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Cuneiform

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One of humankind's earliest writing systems, consisting of wedge shaped marks impressed into clay by means of a reed stylus

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Megalith

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a large, roughly shaped stone, often used in ancient architectural construction

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Stele

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an upright stone slab or pillar

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Fresco

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a method of painting on walls or ceilings surfaced with fresh, moist, lime plaster

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relief

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a sculptural technique in which figures or forms are carved either to project from the background surface(raised relief) or cut away below the background level

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Epic

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A long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of a legendary or historical hero in his quest for meaning or identity

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Ziggurat

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A terraced tower of rubble and brick that served ancient Mesopotamians as a temple-shrine

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Atman

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The Hindu name for the Self; the personal part of Brahman

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Brahman

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The Hindu name for the Absolute Spirit; an impersonal World Soul that pervades all things

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Karma

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The law that holds that ones deeds determine ones future life in the wheel of rebirth

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Nirvana

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The blissful re absorption of the self into the absolute spirit: release from the endless cycle of rebirth

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Pantheism

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The belief that a divine spirit pervades all things in the universe

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Allegory

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a literary device in which objects, persons, or actions are equated with secondary, figurative meanings that underlie their literal meaning

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Amphora

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a Two-handled vessel used for oil or wine

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Dialectical method

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a question-and-answer style of inquiry made famous by Socrates

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Empirical method

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a method of inquiry dependent on direct experience or observation

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Hubris

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Excessive pride; arrogance

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Syllogism

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a deductive scheme of formal argument, consisting of two premises from which a conclusion may be drawn

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Contrapposto

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a position assumed by the human body in which one part is turned in opposition to another part

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Frieze

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in architecture, a sculptured or ornamented band

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Kouros & kore

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a youthful male figure usually depicted nude in ancient Greek sculpture; the female counterpart is the kore

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Lyre

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any one of a group of plucked stringed instruments; in ancient Greece usually made of tortoise shell or horn and therefore light in weight

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Mode

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a type of musical scale characterized by a fixed pattern of pitch and tempo within the octave

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Nike

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The Greek goddess of victory

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Octave

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the series of eight tones forming any major or minor scale

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order

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in classical architecture, the parts of building that stand in fixed and constant relation to each other; the three classical orders are the Doric the Ionic and the Corinthian

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scale

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a series of tones arranged in ascending or descending consecutive order

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Apse

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a vaulted semicircular recess at one or both ends of a basilica

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Basilica

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a large colonnaded hall commonly used for public assemblies, law courts, baths, and marketplaces

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vault

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a roof or ceiling constructed on the arch principle

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Terracotta

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a clay medium that may be glazed or painted; also called "earthenware"